2nd chances (Scorose)

Chapter 15

"Yep, I'm ready," I finally replied, as I jumped the last stair and landed in front of my dad.

He ruffled my ginger hair and took the suitcase from me.

"Come on, we've been waiting for you for half an hour."

"Sorry," I said, smiling cheekily.

"MERLIN, what have you got crammed in here, Rosie?"

"Just my clothes-"

"-your wardrobe as well?"

"No," I answered curtly.

"You sure there isn't an undetectable extension charm on here, Rose?" Dad asked as he lugged the suitcase behind him.

"Dad," I groaned. "You know I don't know how to do that."

"Hermione, this isn't your suitcase is it?"

Mum looked up in confusion, glanced at the suitcase and shook her head.

Finally, he managed to drag the suitcase to the fireplace where Mum and Hugh were waiting, already wearing their old cloaks that we always used for floo travelling.

"Girls," my father tutted as he dropped the suitcase beside his feet and shook his head, "Who'd have 'em?"

"Hey!"

"Ron!" Mum reprimanded.

Dad laughed and handed my suitcase to me. I almost dropped it before tightening my grip against its unexpected weight.

"Ladies first then, Rose."

"What about Mum?" I asked pointedly.

"Fine youngest and wisest first," he said.

I sighed, thinking about how Mum was more clever than me and how Hugo was younger than me, and walked into the fireplace, my suitcase rolling along the floor behind me. Dad handed me the floo powder pot and I took a handful, already practiced in the art of travelling by floo powder. My eyes closed automatically as I threw it down onto the stone bottom of the fireplace.

"The Burrow," I commanded, trying to keep my arms (including my suitcase) as close to my body as was humanely possible.

All I was aware of was the spinning sensation and the press of soot and ash flying around me, landing on my face and my clothes.

"Ah, first again, Rosie-posie-pudding-and-pie," Grandpa said kindly, smiling his toothless grin like usual. He'd lost them all in one of his tinkering projects - looking down an exploding exhaust pipe was bound to blow out your teeth though, wasn't it?

"Merry Christmas, Grandpa," I greeted him as I stepped out of the fireplace, clearing the way for whoever would follow me.

Seconds later Hugo spun into existence in a flurry of green and grey ash.

He nodded to Grandpa and I and grabbed his backpack - how on earth he'd managed to even fit everything in it, I didn't know - and moodily left the room, heading upstairs to dump his stuff in the room the boys would have. All the boys except Fred and James always shared a room. Fred and James, on the other hand, had had their own room since before I could remember. It was an effort to limit the destruction they could cause, plus it stopped Al and James from arguing late into the night.

It was the same for us girls. Lily, Lucy, Dom, Molly, Roxie and me all shared Dad's old room which had been expanded up into the attic (once the ghoul had gone, of course) to be on two levels. Victoire used to bunk with us too, but she would obviously be sleeping with Teddy from now on. They were having the new room that had been built over the conservatory my grandparents had added three years ago.